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Gogledd Orllewin

Stormy weatherThe great storm of 1859left a trail of devastationalong the coast.

The Royal CharterShe survived Cape Hornand storms, only toflounder off Moelfre.

Thetis disasterJohn Griffiths onHolyhead's role after thissubmarine disaster.

U-Boat defeatThe story of how thedeadly German U-boatswere defeated.

HMS ConwayRugby and rigging -recalling schooldays with adifference.

Nafsiporos rescueDavid Evans recounts afamous Moelfre lifeboatoperation.

Hall of FameLocal heroes Titanic officerHarold Lowe andlifeboatman Dick Evans.

Three Peaks RaceColin Walker tells us aboutthe history of this landand sea challenge.

Around the worldHolyhead seafarer SandyBalfour recounts tales fromhis life on ship.

The SS PamelaKen looks for help find outwhat happened to hisfather's ship.

The Welsh NavyOld hands recall the daysof the Blue Funnel Line.

The NafsiporosThe part the Holyheadlifeboat played in thedramatic rescue.

In PicturesArchive photos showingRNLI crews in action andfamous wrecked ships.

Slate cargoA US shipwreck revealslinks to Porthmadog andBlaenau Ffestiniog.

Shipwreck survivorsRead the amazing tale ofthe Cricieth Castle in theSouth Atlantic.

Maritime memoriesOur seas have been home to many adventures over theyears. Ships have sailed far and wide from our ports forcenturies, and others have ventured through our waters withtragic consequences.

your comments

Annette Edwards WrexhamOn the picturesque St Cwfans island, on Anglesey, `Churchin the bay` there is a gravestone for Frank Morley Gurneywho drowned in July 1869. I've often visited this lovely placeand always wondered about this young man, who was he;what about his family, and more importantly are there anyrelations around now that probably don’t even know that heexisted? With a little research I have managed to discoverthe event that happened all those years ago, and a little

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HistoryThe RomansFind out what the empire-building legions got up to.

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Towns & VillagesYour patchHave your say or find outmore about community lifepast and present.

Sardinia: Cymry yn'ddiogel'

Pontio: Dim prifweithredwr

27 February 2012Accessibility helpText only

This document is a snapshot of content from a discontinued BBC website, originally published between 2002-2011. It has been made available for archival & research purposes only. Please see the foot of this document for Archive Terms of Use.

more about the young man and his family.

The North Wales Chronicle August 7th 1869 Wreck of aVessel and Loss of Life. “During a gale on Friday the IronBarque Dalton (Capt. Towill ) bound from Valparasio toLiverpool with a cargo of wheat, copper ore, honey etc wasdriven out of her course and struck between 12 and 1 o`clock on the rocks near Trecastell in Anglesey. In getting tothe boat to save themselves one of the crew was throwninto the water and drowned, and another received veryserious injuries from falling to the deck while trying to reefthe sails. The ship".Wed Jun 24 12:26:30 2009

Graham Vine from Woking, SurreyI read Mary Owens report of the grief felt by her familywhen HMS Conway broke up. I recall my own sadness whenI heard the news although I cannot claim as intimate aknowledge of her as Mary's kin. Conway featuredprominently in the view from my bedroom window, on thetop floor at 14 Menai View Terrace, and one of her officerswas the father of my friend Alistair Wood who lived furtheralong the terrace. During one, wartime, school holiday, itwas arranged for several of us boys - all members of the 3rdCity of Bangor Sea Scouts - to be given a conducted tour ofConway by Alistair's dad whilst all the cadets were away.

We all met on Bangor pier-head and boarded Conway'stender for the ship. The tender's crew were quite fearsometo behold. They were all Chinese and none of them wereclothed from the waist up. This displayed, in their full glory,the numerous bodily mutilations they had sustained duringtheir earlier careers - prior to capture by the Royal Navy! -as pirates on the China Seas ! Huge scars, missing fingers,ears and noses were everywhere. None of them seemed tohave escaped the effects of fighting with cutlasses. Despitetheir fearsome appearance, they were very friendly andtreated us boys like little princes whilst we were aboard.

For most of us it was the first time we had ever trod thedecks of a man of war and it was, altogether, a mostfascinating visit, quite eclipsing my own later visit to HMSVictory. So Conway will always have a very special place forme.Web team: Read more memories of HMS Conway from theOld Conways reunion.Wed Feb 18 10:44:52 2009

Mary Owens from BangorMy grandfather Harry Butler was the "chippy" on H.M.S.Conway and, with my father, watched broken hearted as shebroke up. My family have pictures taken by my father of thatsad day.Tue Aug 5 14:09:21 2008

Gill Hughes, SheffieldDoes anyone have any stories about my great grandfatherCaptain Daniel Mc Neil from Aberdaron and his family? Hewas from Glasgow, a Master Mariner and married JaneWilliams, the then blacksmith's daughter. They raised afamily and built and lived in Bell Field (now Henfaes). He

died in 1900.Wed Mar 7 15:00:18 2007

Jonathan Varcoe from BrockenhurstDoes anyone know anything about Capt David Jenkins of theschooner Heart of Oak from, I think, Bangor, around 1848.He wrote love letters to an ancestor of mine in Pentewan,Cornwall. These letters were found hidden (from her father)in the upholstery of an old chair quite by chance. They arevery well written and quite romantic. No long termrelationship ensued, as he was unable to get return cargoesto Cornwall before he heard a rumour that someone else wasstealing her heart!Thu Jan 11 09:39:46 2007

Prof. Peter Barrar from ConwyI was with Blue Funnel in the 1960s, having joined AlfredHolts as an Engineer Cadet. I went to Birkenhead Tech,worked at Odyssey Works and I sailed aboard the Neleus toAustralia, the Peleus to Japan and Autolycus to Borneo. Iknew lots of others from North Wales, from HMS Conwayand from Maesgerchen, Bangor. We called it the Welsh Navyback then and listening to your first programme brought lotsof memories back. My eldest son who is 37 now heardformer shipmates talking about places I have told him aboutover the years - but he never believed, including BoogieStreet, now sadly gone. I will look forward to programme 2and will forward the web address to old friends from myapprenticeship.Mon Dec 26 18:59:41 2005

Haydn Evans from CricciethIn answer to Iorweth from Blaenau, my grandfather GruffuddJohn Ellis was also on the Miss Morris that day.There was aprogramme made for television about him.Could anyone helpme in finding a copy of this programme?Wed Dec 7 11:23:37 2005

Dave Percival. LlanynghenedlThe last big parade and service to the memory of the loss ofthe Thetis was the 60th in 1999. It was attended by asmany of the relatives as could be contacted and a wreathwas laid on the site by the Moelfre Lifeboat. The service wasnever anything to do with councillors and myself and othermembers of the Ynys Mon ex Submariners and organised theceremony. The concensus of the relatives was that the 6othshould be the final one. Despite this the ceremony is stillmarked every year alternatly in Holyhead and Birkenhead.The Maritime Museum in Holyhead has a large collection ofphotos etc as does the RNA I have a large collection myselfand anyone interest can give me a call. Sun Dec 4 19:49:42 2005

Peter Roberts, MorpethI am searching for information on, pictures of, the Amwlchbuilt PEARL which was once owned/skippered by my Great-grandfather Joseph Hughes of Connah's Quay in the 1890s. Ibelieve she was wrecked at Red Wharf Bay.Thu Nov 3 15:53:03 2005

Jean Baker, Menai Bridge

Prosiect Menai is a Community Heritage Trust workingtowards opening a bridges and local history heritagecentre/museum on the waterfront in Menai Bridge. We arelooking for personal stories/contacts with families connectedwith a) building Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge (1826)and Stephenson's Britannia Bridge (1852), also families ofthe seamen who sailed in the Davies family ships from MenaiBridge - grain was exported, wood and guano were importedand people emigrated from Menai Bridge in these ships toEllis Island and Canada. Some of the ships were also built inCanada. The family shipping business activities dated from1824 to 1870s-90s. Latterly they shipped coal fromSwansea.Fri Sep 23 08:05:27 2005

Leslie Roberts, Silver Spgs FL & Gananoque OntariTwo worthy publications are (1) Anglesey and LlynShipwrecks by Ian Skidmore Published by Christopher DaviesSwansea and (2) Ships and Seamen of Anglesey by AledEames first published by The Anglesey Antiquarian Societythen the National Maritime Museum.Mon Jul 4 21:32:18 2005

Iorwerth r Ap Selwyn from Blaenau FfestiniogMy maternal grandfather Rowland Williams ran away to seaas a sixteen year old (1906). He set sail from Porthmadog ina three masted schooner named Miss Morris. Miss Morriswas sunk by a German U boat (U35) off the coast of Spainin 1916, and my grandfather was on board at the time ofthe sinking. A model of Miss Morris can be seen at themaritime museum, Porthmadog. There is also a video of itssinking at the martime museum.Wed Jul 30 15:39:26 2003


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Gogledd Orllewin

The Welsh NavyLast updated: 31 March 2009

In the sixties and seventies,many young men from northWales went to sea. Someworked on deck, others weregroomed to move up theranks and become sub-lieutenants or captains.

A new BBC Radio Cymru two-part series features tales of howyoung men joined the Blue Funnel Line.

The company, based in Birkenhead, attracted so many Welshrecruits in the fifties and sixties that it was renamed theWelsh Navy. Siân Pari Huws presents the stories of numerousWelshmen, many of whom joined the company at 16.

"I always wanted to go to sea," says Dylan Parry, originallyfrom Waunfawr, now living in Felinheli. "A cousin of minecame down from Liverpool, singing the praises of the BlueFunnel Line and how many Welsh lads sailed with them. Iwent to Birkenhead, to the Odyssey Works, and the first manto greet me was a Welshman called Mr Griffiths, andeveryone headed towards him to get a good ship."

Gareth Jones from Caergeiliog has a similar story. "I joined inBirkenhead, and found that there were lots of Welshmenthere... from Bangor, Pwllheli and Amlwch."

And for many, who'd hardly ever ventured further than theirhome patch, the journeys awaiting them were long andwonderful, taking them to places which they could only havedreamt of before, as Tony Jones from Rhiw, Llyn, explains.

"Leave Birkenhead for Curacao, for a bunker - water and oil -through the Panama Canal, over the Pacific Ocean and tothree ports in Japan - Yokohama, Nagoya and Kobe. ThenPusan in Korea, Taiwan... and then Hong Kong, the jewel ofthe east and my favourite port in the far east, thenSingapore, Port Sweatenham and Ceylon to finish loading theship with tea, in chests - tea was light and went on top -Cape Town or Durban then for a bunker and arrive back,docking in Liverpool."

The work was often hard, with the young Welsh ladspainting, scraping, cleaning, scrubbing and loading the decks.But they also played hard, as many of the stories reveal. Itcould sometimes even turn dangerous, as Michael Hughesfrom Porthmadog found out when he was tied up at gunpointby pirates stealing cargo from the ship.

There were many Welshmen among the higher echelons aswell, with many a Welsh ship captain. Presenter Siân Pari



related www linksBlue Funnel Line 1866-1986Blue Funnel historyFarewell to the China Boats



ActivitiesHead for adventureYour guide to pursuits onmountains, rivers and atsea.

Traffic and TravelGetting aroundTake the train, boat orplane, or hit the region'sroads.

Tai HanesyddolO blastai crand i ffermyddgwledig, camwch drosdrothwy rhai o dai mwyaf

hanesyddol yr ardal


Huws' late father, Gwyn Pari Huws, was himself a captain.Trained on HMS Conway and once-member of the WelshNavy, he was a Marine Superintendent when Siân wasgrowing up in Birkenhead.

Her passion for the sea is something she inherited from him."It was in his blood," says Siân, who has sailed across theAtlantic on the Tall Ships. "And we were raised on boats. Westill keep his boat in Caernarfon harbour and sail it regularly.I'm very comfortable on boats, maybe because it brings mecloser to my father. It's an escape isn't it - the freedom andadventure?"

Gwilym Owen, from Llyn, like many others, joined the WelshNavy because of the close ties many of the ship owners hadwith the area. Many would then be sent to Aberdyfi to betrained.

"There were two small sailing boats there," says Gwilym."About a dozen of us would get seven days in Cardigan Bay.I went there for a month and then I was called up toLiverpool."

After a few years Gwilym Owen became a captain with theWelsh Navy.

Meirion Pugh Jones was originally an engineer from Llanbedr,Meirionnydd. He went to sea to avoid joining the forces aspart of his National Service.

"I wrote about 20 letters and in the end I got work inBristol," he says. "When National Service ended, I went froma company that wasn't big to the Blue Funnel company inLiverpool, which was huge."

But how did the Welsh sailors fare on deck? "They were hardworkers," says John Maldwyn Hughes, originally fromLlanrwst, who was a shipmate with the company. "The seawas their thing. They were lads with the sea in their blood.They understood the work. You could depend on them."

The programme also hears from Captain John Meurig Jonesfrom Llanbedrog; engineer Roberts Arfon Jones fromLlangefni; shipmate Gareth Jones from Caergeiliog; CaptainGlynne Pritchard who followed his father and brother into thecompany, and Eleanor Owen, whose husband Gwilym was acaptain, who talks about being a sea captain's wife, leftbehind for months at a time.

The programme will be broadcast in English on RadioWales early in 2006.

More from Meirion Pugh Jones.

your comments

Clive Burrows Brisbane AustraliaI was delighted to read Chris Keefe (now Powell) fromBirkenhead remembered me from 1970 when I was on thePatroclus. I was fortunate to join Blue Flue in SydneyAus(1969) on the Jason, and spent 3 years UK to Far Easton the Talthybius (ex Salina Victory), Patroclus, Perseus,Ulysses, with study time in Glasgow before returning back toAustralia in 1971. I would like to catch up with guys I sailedwith from UK. Many fond memories of the hard times andfun times.Mon May 11 10:04:02 2009

Lisa GalleyI am looking for some pictures as a birthday present for myfather in law who served on the Patroclus and Perseus,amongst others. His name is John Morgan. Can anyone helpme get hold of pictures?Tue Apr 21 11:44:01 2009

Graham Sawyer now Perthshire then LiverpoolStarted out on Patrocolus (coast) then Demodocus deep sea,Perseus and Achilles, then Diomed with Menetheus in theresomewhere. Clearway (car transporter to Lagos) beforeGlenbeg - Hamburg and paying off. Remember lots of Welshlads, bosun called Willie Thomas and a steward called Gwynnfrom Llanfairfechan. Also another steward called Trefor fromover Pwhelli way.Mon Dec 8 09:41:23 2008

Alan EnglishI joined the Blue Funnel line May 1960 as a deck boy. Iremember Jackie Clark steward very well. Unfortunately Ibroke both my arms outward bound and I was sent homed.b.s from Hong Kong. Jackie was very kind to me. Severalyears later I met him again whilst sailing on theNewfoundland and then several years later he served me inthe Netherton pub. After my accident I continued sailingwith Blue Funnel for several years on Autolycus, Anchises,Cyclops and Patrolucus. I loved every minute of it.Fri Dec 5 14:44:11 2008

Paul Everitt from LiverpoolI joined SS Theseus in August 1944 from the Worcester as aBlue Funnel midshipman. I did 3 trips from Durban toKarachi with a full load of mules, donkeys and sheepdestined for the 14th Army in Burma.Thu Nov 27 08:54:19 2008

Des Cooper from BedfordI joined Blue Funnel Line in 1957. Mr Greenwood, was theman I saw in Odyssey works. He sent me to Aberdovey for6 weeks. Then I spent 4 weeks with Bosen O'brian inOdyssey works. My first ship was SS Jason, then theAlcinous. The bosen was Bob Parsons. A fine man, and agreat bosen to work with. The lamp trimmer was Vic Blower.I had some great days with the Blue Funnel Line. Its a greatshame its not there now. Good Luck to all Mon Sep 8 09:54:12 2008

mike murphy willaston wirralI went to sea with Blue Flue as a deck boy in 1951. My first

ship the Anchises. We collided with a bamboo raft outsidePenang cutting it in half - all survived. On the Ixion westopped in the Red Sea to give medical assistance to a chiefengineer from an Italian tramp steamer unfortunatley hedied in our lifeboat. I came ashore in 1960 but I would nothave missed that experience for anything.s Mon Sep 8 09:53:19 2008

Don Ratcliffe from SomersetI went to Aspinal School in Manchester, from 1935 until1942. At the beginning of the war, we adopted the SSHelenus,the skipper being a Captain Savery, who came tovisit the school. we used to send books and knitted articlesfor the support of the seamen.I was called tomtheheadmaster's study one day and was given an envelopewhich had come from Durban,[it had a large orange stampon it]. The envelope contained my father's HP payment bookfor the radio he had bought on the never-never.What a kindthought! I believe that the Helenus was sunk later on in thewar, and Capt. Savery had another s! hip.Thu Aug 28 16:26:49 2008

Bob Hughes Newcastle upon Tyne, fathers side WelshIs it true that Blue funnel ships would sail really close to thecoast of Anglesey, so that family memdbers could wave totheir loved ones on the ship? Ive also heard that the shipswould also sail between the the "mouses" and the land. Anycomments. If true it must have been a wonderful sight! Fri Jun 20 09:44:01 2008

Gel Brown from Banchory, near Aberdeen ScotlandI joined Blu Flu in 1965 after serving my apprenticeship withHall Russells in Aberdeen, first few trips on Denbighshire,then various others including Atreus, Elpenor, Diomed /Glenbeg etc, Left in 1973. First 2/e I sailed under was aWelshman Keith Rowlands from whom I learned a lot,although we may not have seen eye to eye. Happy, happydays and this site has certainly taken me back.Wed May 7 09:37:36 2008

Menna Lloyd Williams, AberystwythMy late brother, Gwyn Lloyd Williams of Anglesey sailed onthe Blue Funnel from 1950 to the mid 1960's. Sailed on theAntilochus, Agapenor, Ixion and the Helenus. I have greatphotographs of these voyagesMon Apr 7 10:09:18 2008

Chris Powell (nee Keefe) BirkenheadOne of my sisters went out with an engineer from Blue Flu.His name was Clive Burrows. He was Australian and we allremained friends for three or four years until he met his wifeSylvia from Glasgow and they returned to Australia and wehave sadly lost touch. I had a sister who was a nurse in theQAs stationed in Hong Kong at the time. It was New Yearand Clive's ship had docked in Hong Kong harbour, he tooka taxi and found my sister just before midnight. He told her"I've come to wish you a Happy New Year from your Mum".What a lovely man.Fri Nov 2 09:46:33 2007

Margaret ex-Kremlin

I was brought up in a Blue Flue family - my grandfatherserved his time with them as an engineer, then owned R MTelfer on Corporation Road, opposite Victoria Dock. BeforeOdyssey Works was built, Telfers did most of the Blue Flueengine repairs in Birkenhead, and even when Odyssey wasin full swing, Telfers picked up the 'rush jobs'. I worked inthe Kremlin (India Buildings) for five years, then briefly atOdyssey before my marriage. I remember hand-deliveringsailing instructions to a disgruntled captain in Four Crosseson the Lleyn! He was needed urgently, and I happened tobe spending the weekend in Aberdaron, so it was on myway. I remember the dockers' strike, when shore staffhelped to winch ships out of both Victoria and Albert Docks.I also remember the postal strike, when various members ofthe Kremlin staff performed a vital daily 'shipping postalservice' between Liverpool and London. With my [then]boyfriend I was also present at Lime Street when the reliefcrew for the 'Agalampus' left on the midnight sleeper. Wehad spent the evening entertaining the officers with a mealand drinks - all on the company. That was the happiestperiod in my working life, and I remain a Bluey through andthrough, even though all trace of the company hasapparently disappeared. A David Shepherd print of theHelenus in the Mersy hangs proudly on my dining room wall.Thanks for this page - it's brought back so many happymemories.Mon Sep 24 12:24:35 2007

John D. Rogers, NantymoelJoined in 1960 as a middy on Denbighshire, went toMenelaus, Theseus, Glenshiel and 2 trips on Diomed beforegoing to university to get my BA, then sailing as EDH/ABand switched from teaching English to sailing before themast - an odd but pleasing mix! A fantastic company,memorable experiences, and no publisher will take mymemoirs (well, I have faith in them!).Wed May 23 09:04:52 2007

Cliff Hand Vancouver Island CanadaWhen I came out of the Royal Navy in 1948, I joined AlfredHolt's Blue Funnel line as a Junior engineer, first sailing onthe new steam ship Perseus, after a couple of trips on that Ijoined the Diomed the old coal burner where 60 Chinesefireman shovelled 100 ton of coal a day into 18 fires onthree Scotch boilers. It was a 9 month trip to Australia viaSouth Africa, and a great old ship and happy crew it was.Next came several trips on the Liberty ships Troilus andTantalus, and when a 2nd Class ticket came along I joinedthe Victory ship Memnon, to Java and many ports in thatarea. After that I was sent to the Glen line and sailed as2nd Engr on Liberty ship Flintshire for 3 trips to the FarEast. I took my 1st Class ticket, and then did some Motorship time on the Glenshiel, Glengarry, and the Glenroy. Leftthe company in 1956 immigrated to Canada in 1957. I havehappy memories of the time I spent with Blue Funnel it wasa great company to work for and they treated us well. Ihave a book called Ships of the Blue Funnel Line, byH.M.LeFleming. If it is still available. I'd recommend you geta copy. Thu Feb 22 10:07:37 2007

Sid Davies, Bramhall, CheshireIn 1944 I was an apprentice on the Brocklebank shipMAIHAR. We loaded coal at Lorenco Marques in PortugueseEast Africa - ending up in Sicily and Italy during thefighting). The blue Funnel ship SARPEDON was there and afellow ex-Conway boy Parry Williams was on board as anapprentice. As they believed they were bound for the UK Igave him a letter to post from Liverpool to my parents in NWales telling them of my adventures to date. When I gothome 9 months later I asked my mother if she had had aletter from Liverpool and she vaguely remembered anenvelope with strips of paper in it with my writing. Thepostal censor must have got hold of it and cut out allreference to where I had been. Happy daysTue Jun 20 09:55:39 2006

Lloyd Jones, LlanfairfechanI am a friend of Victor Brookes, who now lives inLlanfairfechan - he was with the Blue Funnel Line for years,starting as a boy. The Pyrrhus and the Petroculus are two ofthe ships he recalls. Anyone remember him?Wed Mar 1 14:24:29 2006

Dave J Evans Penrhyndeudraeth.I joined the Welsh Navy in 1969 at 15 and a half; I trainedat Odyssey works, I then sailed on the Jason which was myfirst voyage. Taking her to scrap in Taiwan 3 years later,she was a good ship and had many Welsh sailors on board.On one voyage we had 13 out of 52 crew Welsh speakersincluding the skipper, a Captain Pound, I think he came fromPorth Dinorwig. I then joined the Patroclus which alsoeventually went to scrap. Hence the slow demise of theWelsh navy. It was a good life for us young single lads. Sun Feb 19 00:43:01 2006


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Gogledd Orllewin

Rescues at seaLast updated: 31 March 2006

David Evans from Holyheadwas quartermaster at the portfor many years. He recalls theday he happened to be homewith his father, Moelfrecoxswain Dick Evans, whenthe call came in to go to therescue of a stricken ship.

"I happened to be staying in my parents' house in Moelfrethat day. My wife and I were moving from Liverpool toHolyhead a week later and I'd come up to makearrangements. As usual, if the call went out for the Moelfrelifeboat and I was there, I went out with the crew.

We'd just reached the boathouse and changed into dryclothes after a long day's duty on the lifeboat when the callcame from the coastguard to go to the assistance of theHolyhead boat. We had to get back into our wet sailingclothes, get back into the boat and sail back round Angleseytowards the Skerries, where a Greek ship, the Nafsiporos,was in difficulties.

There was a hurricane blowing and the lifeboat was like acork in the water. My father, as coxswain, always said that itwas his duty to go to anyone's rescue, but also to keep hiscrew safe in the process. He was easing the boat over thehuge waves when an air vent broke off and fell clean throughthe deck, leaving a big hole in it. The sea was seepingthrough and something had to be done before the boat gotinto serious trouble. So Murley Francis and me, the twoyoungest members of the crew, crawled out onto the deckand stuffed a pair of oilskin trousers in the hole to plug it. Itdid the trick, thank goodness.

We reached the Nafsiporos at about 4:30pm. The waves wereenormous, but father managed to get alongside the ship tentimes so we could pull the crew onto our boat. The final time,our boat landed on the deck of the Nafsiporos, but anotherhuge wave came and swept us off it.

My father received his secondgold medal from the RNLI forthis rescue, and a year laterhe was on This Is Your Life. Itwas one of the proudestmoments of my life, and I'vebeen told that it was one ofthe most popular editions ofthe programme. People like to

see normal people doing extraordinary things."



related bbc.co.uk linksDick Evans in our Hall of Fame






Hall of Fame - Dick Evans.

your comments

Alan Williams, ConwyI was mate with Capt Jeavons on C.P. Voyager a bitbefore he retired to Moelfre (I think). He told me hewas proud to have been in Mr Evans' crew and thatDick was proud to say he had the captain of an Empressboat in his crew.Tue Jan 22 15:53:05 2008

Hywel Jones, Port Dinorwic/Cardiff To Peter Jeavons:- I sailed with your father on twoCanadian Pacific ships. He was a special man for whomI had the greatest respect. I have been Captain myselffor 30 years - and still at it. Thu Dec 27 10:57:33 2007

Peter JeavonsMy father, Capt J David Jeavons, was in the crew forthe Nafsiporos rescue. He never said too much aboutthe events of the day but I know he felt enormous prideat having served with Coxwain Dick Evans. Ordinarymen in extrordinary curcumstances or just extrordinarymen? Wed Oct 3 15:49:36 2007

GraemeMy grandfather had a copy of Lifeboat VC which I nowhave somewhere in my study. It was one of myfavourites, no the favourite book of my childhood. Iadmired Dick Evans' story so much and he was one ofthe most inspiring people of my childhood in the '80s. Ihad a mental picture of Moelfre and I was stunned tosee how beautiful it was when I first visited in the late90's. Even more stunned when I broke my leg fishingon the rocks by Moelfre island dreaming about the bit inLifeboat VC where the boat rides the crest of a wavethe length of the island into the lee of the wind.Tue Feb 6 09:24:22 2007

Jonathan WilliamsI am in some way distantly related to "Uncle Dick". Wealways used to call him Uncle, but in fact I think he wassomething like my 3rd ( at least ) cousin. We alwaysused to visit Uncle Dick and Aunty Nansi when we wenton holidays to Moelfre in the 90's as my Dad used to goout on the lifeboat with him in the 60s. Sadly, I don'tremember all that much as last time I saw him wasabout 1990 I think.

There is a very good book about him called Lifeboat VCthat is probably long out of print, but might be onGoogle somewhere???Fri Sep 8 09:36:23 2006

John Thacker, Stoke on TrentMy wife, Children and I met Dick Evans on many

occasions when we visitied Moelfre on holiday. What aman! When my elder son was 10, Dick invited us to hishome and showed us his medals. My son is now 38, butstill remembers that day when the great man treated a10-year-old boy with such respect. To anyone who metDick it came as no surprise that he risked his life tosave others. To him everybody was equally important.The whole family will be at the unveiling of hismemorial next year. He was a credit to his family, tothe RNLI, to Moelfre and to humanity. I am very proudthat I can say "I met a hero." Tue Dec 30 20:09:11 2003


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Gogledd Orllewin

Lives on the lineLast updated: 28 September 2006

Ray Kipling from Poole,former deputy director of theRNLI and author of Never TurnBack: The RNLI since theSecond World War tells us howa visiting RNLI inspector foundhimself in the midst of adramatic rescue on theHolyhead lifeboat.

Harold Harvey was an RNLI inspector for Wales. He'd comeout of the navy as a young man and admitted himself thathe thought he knew everything but he soon discovered thatall the volunteers he was inspecting knew a great deal morethan him.

He was only on the Holyhead lifeboat for the rescue that daybecause he happened to be there inspecting the boat whenthe shout went up.

The Nafsiporos, a Greek ship, had been monitored over threedays as it drifted across the Irish Sea without power in aforce 11 gale. The Douglas lifeboat from the Isle of Man wascalled out to track the ship at first but as it drifted towardsAnglesey, Holyhead were called out. Holyhead lifeboatmanaged to intercept the Nafsiporos in horrendousconditions.

I found a quote from second coxswain Wil Jones fromHolyhead who spoke of finding it quite comical that a Pacificliner captain kept on coming up to him, the volunteer, andasking if he knew what he was doing and where he wasgoing. He had to ask him to pipe down - a lifeboat coxswainputting a sea captain in his place!

He also remembers the comedic aspect of the moment whenone of the ropes holding the Nafsiporos's life boat snapped soit just swung around on one rope. They tried to tell theGreek crew to cut the other rope and let the lifeboat go butthey didn't do it. Wil wasn't sure if it was because theycouldn't hear them, or if they couldn't understand theirstrong Welsh accents!

The ship's lifeboat continuedto swing around dangerouslyso Thomas Allcock, theHolyhead coxswain, gave thewheel over to Harold Harveyso that he could go up ondeck. It's not clear whetherHarvey took control orwhether Allcock gave it up,



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thinking he could do betterthings on the foredeck - which he did. Allcock and Wil Jones,the other crew member, were amazingly brave on the deckright in the path of the ship's swinging lifeboat.

The ship's lifeboat did eventually crash down on the Holyheadboat, within a whisker of killing Allcock and Jones. Luckily,Harvey saw it in time and threw the boat into reverse sowhen the lifeboat hit the Holyhead boat it slid off into thesea. He remembers that the oars were sticking through thewheelhouse window.

They then withdrew and the Moelfre lifeboat came in to do afantastic job in helping to rescue the survivors from the ship.

But even then the Holyhead boat's work wasn't done. Thecaptain wouldn't abandon the Nafsiporos so they had to staywith her all night until a tug came to tow her back toLiverpool. They hadn't just had a very dangerous rescue, buta very long and arduous one too.

All members of both the Holyhead and Moelfre crews weregiven medals for their bravery - I don't think that's happenedsince. Harvey and Dic Evans, the coxswain of the Moelfreboat, were given gold medals, Thomas Allcock was givensilver and everyone else received bronze. Ray Kipling

your comments

Imogen Battey, Wareham, DorsetHarold Harvey was my father. His actions that day certainlyhelped to save the crew of the Nafsiporos, a fact laterrecognised by the Greek government. He was humbled bythe award of the RNLI gold medal, and instilled in hischildren a healthy respect for the sea. It is not a coincidencethat in retirement I find myself living by it.Fri Nov 2 09:33:17 2007

Joe Bloggs AngleseyWhat, no mention of the HM Coastguard Auxilliaries whowere on top of a cliff the whole night freezing in thoseconditions?Tue Jun 26 10:09:55 2007

John Williams PA USAEnjoyed reading the Holyhead great rescue work, As amember of the US Coastguard Auxiliary I can well appreciatewhat they must have gone through. Back in the nineties Ihad the good fortune to visit the Blackpool RNLI station andhad the pleasure of presenting them with a plaque on behalfof the US Coastguard Auxiliary in recognition of the livesthat have been saved by the RNLI. From its inception it hasbeen one of the finest volunteer organisations known toseafarers the world over and has set the standard for othersto follow. Mon Oct 23 10:00:22 2006

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Gogledd Orllewin

The life of RileyLast updated: 14 October 2008

Meirion Pugh Jones fromDyffryn Ardudwy shares hisexperiences of life on boardship, from down in the engineroom to trips ashore.

I went to sea by accident! I left my home in Llanbedr,Harlech to serve my apprenticeship in a drawing office inCoventry and it was never my ambition to go to sea.

But funnily enough, a lad who worked with me in the drawingoffice found his way into the Merchant Navy and I thought,what a great idea - better than 28 shillings a week doingNational Service in the army.

So I went for a grading, which was necessary to enter theMerchant Navy. Obviously they preferred people who haddone heavy engineering previously; stipulating that beingable to run a vessel was desirable. My experience wasn'tright for the work and I got a third grading which meant Iwas unsuitable.

But I didn't give up. I wrote about 40 letters to loads ofcompanies and luckily enough I got an answer from onebased in Bristol. They had 16 ships which sailed across theAtlantic to Canada in the summer and east coast America inthe winter.

After being with them for two years, it was approaching thetime when National Service was finishing, so all the qualifiedmen in the navy who were there dodging national servicewere leaving in droves and it meant I could leave a smallercompany for a larger one and chose Blue Funnel in Liverpoolas it was nearer home.

Initially I joined a small boat, an American liberty boat anddid a bit of sailing to various places round Indonesia. Then Iwas given a much better ship, one of the P boats. There werefour P boats and I was on the Pelius, a passenger ship whichcarried cargo and 60 first class passengers. It started fromBirkenhead and went round to Japan, taking three monthsand two days.

On the 5th of each month a P boat left Liverpool, crossingeach other at various points round the world throughout theyear.

The structure of the engine room was like this: you had thechief engineer, a career man, and then one, two and threeengineers. I joined as a junior, assisting the senior engineerson watch. The senior engineers on our ship were Chinese,






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with mostly British crew on deck.

You were on watch at sea and on shifts of 12 hours when atdock to carry out maintenance work. We'd always eat in thesaloon with the passengers so we'd always have to changeout of our dirty overalls into our whites. We'd usually changeinto the whites near the Suez Canal when it got hotter,otherwise we'd wear blue uniforms with armbands.

But of course we had time ashore in many ports - HongKong, Manila, Singapore. It was very pleasant, an ideal lifefor a young, single man! I was with Blue Funnel for aboutthree years and the quality of life was excellent. They lookedafter their men and the men were very loyal, company men.

They operated quite differently to everyone else - they neverinsured the ships because it was cheaper to build a new shipin place of a damaged one. So we were always on doublestandby when sailing round the coast of north Wales back toLiverpool. We'd always pick up our own pilot in Holyhead toguide us home.

The ships were in an excellent state. They were steam shipsso we didn't need to do an awful lot of maintenance - not likechaps on motor ships who had to overhaul the units in everyport. When we'd meet up with them in Singapore all theiruniforms would be filthy but we were always lily white!

I left when I was 26 because I wouldn't have made a seniorengineer. I took up an operational job, dealing with turbinesand boilers at Trawsfynydd nuclear power station, and stayedthere fore about 33 years.

But it was difficult to settle down because we had a verygood standard of living on board ship, with plenty of moneyin out pockets. So most of us had very good clothes becauseof Hong Kong - you could get a suit measured in themorning, fitted in the afternoon and be ready to wear by thenext day. Most of us had a Rolex watch too - it was a greatlife.

More on the Welsh Navy.

your comments

Merfyn Jones, LiverpoolVery interesting, reading Meirion`s (Life of Riley), tonight.His mother was my Auntie Gwen. We were sorry to hearthat he passed away earlier this year. I only got to see himonce, at the Power Station. Our daughter Linda was friendlywith his wife a long time ago.Mon Nov 12 09:56:09 2007

Ronnie Foster Ex LiverpoolI sailed on the Peleus with Meirion Pugh Jones. I rememberhim with affection, singing us home with "Land of our

Fathers" as we approached the pilot station at Holyhead.Tue Nov 28 10:01:06 2006


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Gogledd Orllewin

Remembering DickLast updated: 28 September 2006

Ray Kipling, former deputy director of the RNLI and authorof Nver Turn Back, had frequent encounters with gold medal-winning Dick Evans.

I used to be the deputy director of theRNLI and I knew Dick Evans quite wellbecause he was such a great RNLIcharacter and a great teller of tales. Hewas a great orator and could grasp anaudience and reduce them to tears.

There was a wonderful episode when aportrait was commissioned, and we hada ceremony to unveil it in Beaumaris.The chair of the council had to give aspeech - in English, which had obviouslybeen written by some official and was abit tedious. But then he said 'I'm now

going to speak in the language of angels', and launched offinto what was obviously an amazing speech in Welsh. Eventhough we English people present couldn't understand thewords we understood the sentiment and the effect it had oneveryone - it reduced Dick to tears.

I've written a book about the RNLI - the rescues and theboats are important, but in writing about the actual peopleyou expose the fact that they are just like everyone else.Dick Evans and others are regarded as heroes but they'rejust ordinary people.

They are all from ordinary backgrounds, doing ordinary things- as vulnerable, frail and open to sentiment as all of us.

Dick would say how worried he was for his family, about hisboys who were on the crew with him and for the families ofthe rest of the lifeboatmen. But he and his fellow crewmenstill did these remarkable things.

Dick would talk about a rescue going wrong, especially onewhere they weren't able to save a little girl and the pain ofdealing with her weeping grandfather who came to theboathouse. Dick was very cut up about it - he wasn't a manwithout feeling. We tend to see lifeboat men as heroes andforget that there's a very human side to them.Ray Kipling

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Gogledd Orllewin

What became of the Pamela?Last updated: 31 March 2009

Ken Hughes from Derby,formerly Bangor, has somesketchy details of whatbecame of his father's ship, SSPamela, but would like yourhelp to fill in the gaps.

"I don't remember a lot about the sinking of the SS Pamelaas I was only three years old when she went down, theyoungest of 13 kids living in Maesgeirchen.

I believe when the war started, the Pamela was changedfrom carrying slate to carrying grain or barley. She used tobe based in Penrhyn port.

She left the port of Sharpnesson the River Severn atGloucester on 10 October1944 carrying a load of barleybound for Liverpool, but shedid not arrive.

My family were told she wentdown in the Channel with all

crew lost, including my father, the Captain. Most of the menwere from Bangor and I think two were from Holyhead.

The ship's crew included Owen Hughes (Master), H J Lines, RO Jones, S Jones, H E Hughes, W J Stretton and W Thomas.

Does anyone else have any more information about the crewof the Pamela, or what happened to her?"

your comments

Owen Jones from Connah's Quay, born in AmlwchSam Jones was my Grand Father. He was one of the crewon the SS Pamela when it sank. Thu Aug 6 09:29:57 2009

Elizabeth Evans, Y FelinheliMy late uncle John Chubb (bottom left of picture) was aregular member of the crew of the Pamela, but before herlast voyage he was persuaded by a local ship's masterfrom YFelinheli to jump ship and join his crew on the Pool Fisher.According to his certificate of discharge he left the Pamela atRuncorn.Thu Aug 23 09:43:42 2007

Sandra Rowlands, BethesdaMy father is in this picture. His name was Evan Williams and










lived in Maesgeirchen. Fortunately he was not on the Pamelawhen it sunk although he lost many friends. Another of hisseafaring pals was John Chubb who also survived.Mon Feb 26 10:14:27 2007

Glynne Parry -Perth W.AustraliaR>O>Jones of the Pamela was my uncle, married to Katemy mother's sister. We lived at Llanfairpwll and as a boy, Ican vividly remember the morning we got the news of thePamela's sinking. Auntie Kate had four young children ,all ofwhom live on Anglesey. The eldest boy Robert McKenzieJones and the eldest daughter, Prydwen Hughes still live inLlanfair. Bobby and I were both to join the Royal Navy whenwe grew up.Wed Sep 13 13:32:55 2006

Sue Jones TalysarnI was trying to find out more about my grandfather a firstengineer on the ss Pamela William Williams I found amemorial in London with his name on it is the one in TowerHill. The memorial is called the Debt of Honour memorialand he is on panel 130 he was 57 when he died I am surethat if you look on the net with your relations name you willfind that he is on this memorial too. Tue Dec 20 13:55:42 2005

Jon Shaw, AmlwchI was one of the first divers to visit a ship wreck six milesnorth of Amlwch port some years ago. After several dives weidentified the wreck as the Pamela of Bangor Port ofBeaumaris. An old seaman friend George from Amlwch whohas since passed away, told me of the Pamela history, andof once meeting the captain. If any one would like furtherinformation ,or even visit the site.

Bangor Port of Beaumaris, a book by M.ELIS-Williams hasgood photos and story in it.Sun Dec 11 20:48:04 2005

Derick Thomas, FleetwoodMy grandfather was lost with the Pamela (see aboveW.Thomas). Bill's name appears on the War Memorial in theMemorial Park in Fleetwood. He was a fireman on thePamela.

I've researched some aspects of her loss. I hope this infohelps. Any other details would be greatly appreciated.

Here is an extract from the Met Office archives for 10/11October 1944 in the area; "We have hourly wind reportsfrom Holyhead and here is a brief summary: During theearly hours of the 11th there was a Fresh wind (BeaufortForce 5) from the SSE. By 6:00 a.m. it had fallen Light, butthen during the afternoon increased to a Fresh wind fromthe NE to SE. Suddenly during the evening it veered to theWSW and increased to fale or even Severe Gale (Force 8/9)for a few hours before moderating to Strong (Force 6)before midnight. "

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency kindly provided thefollowing ... "Built 1921, steel hulled steam vessel, British

flagged, 408 gross tons, single-hatched coaster. Built forBaron Penrhyn of Penrhyn Slate Quarries for thetransportation of roofing slates. Ownership past to AngleseyShipping Co. in 1938. On 10th October 1944 the vessel leftSharpness bound for Liverpool with a cargo of 350 tons ofbarley, 8 crew and 2 gunners. The vessel left Barry Roads inthe afternoon of the same day but never arrived at itsdestination. A Ministry of Transport Enquiry into the loss wasunable to establish a cause. Joint Arbitration Committeeconsider lost by marine causes. Missing Ship Committeeconsider lost on 11th Oct 1944 - info from Lloyds WarLosses Vol II.

You can get a picture of the Pamela from "CambrianCoasters" by Roy Fenton. The wreck of the Pamela waslocated and identified by divers in the late 1990s. It isrelatively intact and sits upright on a sandy bottom in 51mof water.Sat Sep 24 18:06:14 2005

Sue Jones, TalysarnI have since learned that the Pamela was foundapproximately 4/5 miles north of Lynas (north coast ofAnglesey). The diver had, I have been told, got the shipsbell.Wed May 25 14:19:28 2005

Sue Jones, TalysarnMy grandfather William Williams was the engineer on boardthe Pamela. She did sail for the Mersey But rough weatherovertook her and she sank.

A short while ago some diver diving on a wreck off the northcoast of Anglesey claimed to have found her. My son wasfriendly with them and they said when they'd got someconcrete evidence then they would be in contact.

It was mentioned when I was a girl that the Pamela hadhatch boards and then canvas secured over this withwedges. Other ships I have known in bad weather, especiallygrain carriers have had their cargo shift and swell when theygot wet. This is the possible answer to her disappearance.

At that time grain was mainly loaded loose into the holdthen bags of the same grain packed in to make the cargomore stable. It did not always work. Fri May 13 11:54:34 2005

Robert Dafydd Cadwalader ex CricciethOne theory was that she struck a mine. She probably carriedslates throughout. The grain would likely to have been areturn cargo to get her back to the North Wales area readyto load more slate. If she was converted to grain then a newbulkhead would have been built to lessen the cubic capacityof the hold. Occasional cargoes would entail shifting boardsor bagging a layer of grain to lay on the stow to stop itshifting. If this was not done (to save time/money) then ashift of the grain in bad weather could have caused the shipto flounder.Fri Mar 4 11:42:13 2005


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The Thetissubmarine disasterLast updated: 31 March 2006

John Griffiths is formerly from Holyhead, but now lives inOxford. He reminds us of the part Holyhead had to play inthe Thetis submarine disaster of 1939.

"The Thetis story always fails to mention the fact that thesubmarine, after beaching at Traeth Bychan, was towed toHolyhead dry dock, where the remaining bodies wereremoved by volunteers. The old Pontoon House (nowdemolished) became a make shift mortuary until the bodieswere interred at Maeshyfryd Cemetery.

My mother (now deceased) remembers seeing the bodiesbeing taken along the Turkeyshore Road, whilst my fatherrecalls that the smell of the dead hung over the area forweeks.

The Thetis tragedy always mentions Traeth Bychan - neverHolyhead. It is a significant fact many historians ignore - yetone that is a part of the whole story."

your comments

Paul Willson,Victoria BC CanadaThe Thetis marker is near my grandparents' plot inMaeshyfryd cemetery. One person mentioned that the USNrescued a crew in an accident like Thetis. Yesit was USSSqualus, but she lost half her complement due to flooding.The rescue of the remainder was largely due to theirproximity to the USN sub base at New London Conn.Allowed a quick response, and it was way too long for thecrew.Tue Apr 14 10:00:54 2009

Dave Griffiths, HolyheadThere is a new book out called Thetis - Slow Death of aSubmarine, with a forword by Len Deighton. It goes intomore detail of what happened before, during and after thedisaster. Many photos included that I have never seenbefore. A good companion book to the two others TheAdmiralty Regrets & Secrets and Scandal. The second is aninsight into what happened to the money from the disasterfund and how it was distributed.Mon Dec 29 10:25:27 2008

Sue Aspinall, West MidlandsMy maternal grandfather died on The Thetis and my Mumwas the second youngest of 5 girls, she was aged 5 whenher Father died and my Nan was left to bring 5 girls up onher own and never remarried. I have never really known





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much about the disaster but I am trying to learn more forMy Mum has it had a profound effect on her life not to havea Daddy when growing up. Tue Nov 11 15:42:27 2008

Tina Cleaver, BirkenheadMy grandfather Robert Kipling was killed on the Thetis. Mymum was 6 months old when he died, my nan was left tobring up 4 children on her own, holding down 3 jobs tomake ends meat. Tyhere was thousends of pounds in a trustfund for these people but my nan told me that if she neededanything you had to go and beg the solicitor in HamiltonSquare and you never got much, only half of what you reallyneeded. So many women gave up and struggled on andbrought their children up alone. The money disappeared. It'sin a bank somewhere, but nobody knows where. I feel thatnot enough was done to save these men and we shouldhave an inquest into the deaths now and we may see thatthere was a big cover up and someone should pay forleaving these women to bring all the children up in poverty.Mon Nov 10 09:41:05 2008

LUKE STEPHENSONI was at university with the nephew of one of the Lairdsemployees lost on the Thetis. He, the nephew and hisfather, were both extremely bitter around the failure of thegovernment of the day to save the crew. There is acatalogue of incompetence and indecision in the wholesordid tale. What a lot of people don't realise is that the USnavy saved a crew in much the same circumstances prior tothe Thetis incident and, perhaps more sadly, that therenamed Thetis was torpedoed in the Med with the loss ofall hands. There can't be many ships in history that havelost two crews! Surely a doomed vessel right from the start.Fri Jul 18 09:16:50 2008

Cyril Richardson, WalsallMy memory of the Thetis was as a boy of ten who went fora walk up Tower hill in Abergele with his Mum and Dad andwondered why all the ships were circling at sea in thedistance. When I was about thirty I went up again,with mywife and two boys, enthusing about the view and thehistoric moment I had unwittingly witnessed from near thetower. The unfortunate thing was that we couldn't even seethe sea because all the trees had grown much taller. I cantell you we were all puffed and I wasn't very popular.Tue Apr 29 09:21:48 2008

Rosemary Smyth (Craig) - AustraliaMy father was stoker James Craig, who died on the Thetis. Iwas born on January 1st 1940, in Nr Ireland, my motherwas two months pregnant with me when he was lost. I hada brother who was seven years older. My mother went hometo Nr Ireland for most of the war and brought us back toGosport just before the war ended. I remember going to theunveiling of the memorial, at the grave, as a young child,and still have the programme of events. My mother and Iemigrated to Australia in 1956 and she re-married when Iwas 19. She has sadly passed away some years ago. I havenever been back but my daughter visited the grave in about1994. She also visited the museum at Gosport, and the

person on duty that day just happened to have been in theboat when they were trying to raise the Thetis, he waseighteen years old at that time. I am deeply moved when Iread the comments and when I look up the Thetis websiteand see the pictures of the tragedy. I have many of thesepictures that my mother saved. Tue Jan 29 09:54:35 2008

Paul Cross, HullMy Father was thomas George Cross who told me the storyof the Thetis saying if things had been different that day Imight never have been borm. He had an invatation to go onboard the Thetis that day from his Uncle who was in someway involved in the building of the submarine. However onthe day his Uncle was taken ill and therefore my Father wasunable to go on that fateful voyage. I wondered if anyonemight have any details of the story and who is Uncle was.Apparently there were official invatations and I wondered ifanywhere in the records a list of the invitees existedTue Nov 6 10:04:27 2007

David KellyMy grandfather Frank Bresner who worked at Lairds died onthe Thetis and what upset me was the way my Gran had tostruggle the rest of her life with little or no assistance. Sheremained proud of her husband but ashamed of theadmiralty and goverment. Please at least let us rememberthem all with pride and if any one can help me with datesfor memorial services I would be most grateful.Fri Sep 21 09:56:06 2007

sali, merseysidethere is a museum in Fort Perch Rock, New Brightondedicated to the Thetis Museum which was put together bythe family who live there, all very well presented andrespectful, well worth a visitMon Jun 25 10:28:32 2007

Anita Bowden BerkshireWhilst doing family history research I remembered my fathertelling me about his brother Ernest Mitchell who died in theThetis disaster. I stumbled across the book The AdmiralityRegrets and wow what a read! I swelled with pride readingabout the heroics of my uncle, Petty officer Mitchell who Inow know was the torpedo gunners mate. At the same timemy heart broke to know just how close he came to escapeas his was the first body out when they finally managed toopen the escape hatch. Thanks to this site I now know aboutthe memorial services and will try for 2009, the 60thanniversary of the tragedy. Some comfort though he maynot have made it through WW2.Fri Jun 22 10:43:33 2007

Elizabeth Mills from OxfordMy great uncle, Captain "Joe" Oram, was one of the veryfew survivors of the Thetis. He died in his 90s in 1986. Hisbiography was published by Pen and Sword Books, "TheRogue's Yarn" by Wendy Harris. He took the burden of"survivor's guilt" to his grave.Fri Feb 9 09:06:33 2007

Arthur Williams, HerefordI was an apprentice fitter at Lairds when the Thetis was lost.I later worked on the refit. Terrible memories, I will neverforget, I'm 85 this year. Tue Feb 6 16:40:56 2007

Hilary MyattMy Gran and Mum watched the failed attempts to saveThetis from the Great Orme in Llandudno, which overlooksLiverpool Bay, where they were on holiday at the time. MyGran lived in Wallasey, less the 5 miles from CammellLairds, was a shareholder in the shipyard and had been toThetis's launch. My Mum remembered my Gran being veryupset at what was going on and the trapped men. Gran alsocontributed the fund that was set up for the victims'families. My father worked for Lairds for many years, hislast day being when the yard closed in 1993 and I oftenwent to the yard with him and saw many vessels launchedfrom the nuclear subs onwards.Wed Jan 24 12:40:57 2007

Margaret Roberts AnglesyI well remember the Thetis Disaster since I was a child ofseven in Moelfre at the time. The slowness of the recoveryships reaching the sub has been well documented in TheAdmiralty Regrets, Having realised that no more than thefour members of the crew could escape and that the boathad sunk below the surface it was decided to tow the subalong the bottom of the sea tightening the hawsers to lift itand move forward for beaching in Traeth Bychan a smallcove between Moelfre and Benllech on the East coast ofAnglesey.

I recall my mother pointing at the stern of the sub whichsurfaced first a! nd then the bow. The first bodies to berecovered were brought ashore on the Moelfre Lifeboat,Coxwain John Mathews, they were carried to Holyhead and itwas such an ordeal for the RNLI crew that no further victimswould be carried up the slip way. it was therefore decided tobeach the Thetis in Traeth Bychan and plug the holes in thedamaged hull and then tow the boat to Holyhead.

The sinking of the Thetis was rather hushed up as we wereabout to go to war in 1939. The ashes of Commander Bolusof the Thetis were buried at sea. 99 men perished on thesubmarine and a diver working on the salvage lost his lifebringing the total to 100 plus the crew which lost their livesin it%2! 0in the Mediterranean when renamed Thunderbolt ! Mon Dec 11 10:51:48 2006

Gerard Sullivan BirkenheadI was nine years old when this tragedy took place. Myabiding memory is the front page picture on the LiverpoolEcho that evening. It showed hundreds of mothers andchildren outside the main gates of Cammel Lairds waiting fornews. It is something I will never forget.Thu Dec 7 16:01:57 2006

John Granter Earle Hastings Victoria AustraliaMy brother James served in the Royal Navy on Submarinesfrom1940-1946. Also as a young man I saw the Lloyds

Register with the photo of the piece of Bituminous Enamelthat was jammed in the torpedo outer door. However, therewas plenty of time to rescue the crew. The powers that behave a lot to answer for.Mon Jul 10 09:52:09 2006

Haydon M SummerillMy mother (then Winifred Crouch) worked on the repairs tothe Thetis but can't remember due to old age where it wasdocked - can anyone let me knowThu Jun 29 09:41:10 2006

Sid Davies, Bramhall, CheshireI was in school in Llanudno when the maroon was fired tosummon the lifeboatmen who launched the boat and wentout to where the Thetis sank. Being curious we ran to thepier and the Liverpool tug which had accompanied the Thetiscalled at the pier and took a local GP out to the scene. Iwent on HMS Conway at Bangor in 1942 and the chap whowas courting the Captain's daughter Rosemary was aLietenant Andrews who was eventually the 2nd in commandof HMSThunderbolt - as the Thetis was renamed after beingsalvaged. Tue Jun 20 09:55:56 2006

Gwyn Roberts of HolyheadI would like to take this opportunity to let readers of thispage know that there is a remembrance day for the lostcrew of the Thetis on the first Sunday in June every year.My neighbour has attended the service at MaeshyfrydCemetery for many years and then the get-together at theNaval club after, where a lot of decendants meet up. I'msure if the Maritime Museum was contacted they could givesome information about the event. Mon Jun 5 09:43:38 2006

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